For this exploration I decided to play the video game Tecmo Superbowl on the Sega Genesis blindfolded. For those unfamiliar with this, it is an arcade-style football game from 1993 that is still funner to play than the latest Madden games. I have been playing this game since I was a kid, so I knew how to select plays and move around without seeing the screen. However, it turned out to be a bit more challenging than I anticipated. Running the ball was practically impossible as is reflected in the statistics (19 carries for -8 yards), but passing was somewhat effective. I didn’t bother switching between receivers much because I couldn’t see if they were open anyway, but I sort of developed a feel for when to pass the ball. While I completed less than half of my passes, I did manage to score 1 touchdown, so that was exciting. Anyway, I took a picture of the TV screen after the game was over to show off my lowly statistics. I lost 35 to 7. Come on, it’s tough to play defense blind.

About

Taught at Miami University during Winter 2011, "COM 355: Media Technology and Exploration" will survey the relationship between media technologies, including print, film, television, and digital technologies, and explorations of continents, islands, the Arctic and Antarctic, underwater environments, outer space, and interior psychic and bodily spaces.